Chelsea are preparing for the first of nine Premier League cup finals as they look to achieve their goal of qualifying for the Champions League for next season.
The Blues return from the international break with another London derby, this time against arch-rivals Tottenham, with Enzo Maresca desperate to see his side return to winning ways.
Chelsea have already been buoyed by the news that Cole Palmer is in training again ahead of Thursday’s game, with Nicolas Jackson also back with the first team after his own injury woes.
Spurs arriving to Stamford Bridge has usually been a successful outing as far as the Blues are concerned. They have lost just once in 35 years against this opposition at home.
Nevertheless, the Blues are going to need some big moments and some key players to step up if they are going to maintain their place in the top four, like many Chelsea sides have done before them.
The Chelsea Chronicle have ranked the five biggest wins over their nemesis in the past, including cup final wins and comeback victories that have delighted fans.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea 4-2 Spurs 2016 FA Cup
Antonio Conte made the brave call to bench both Eden Hazard and Diego Costa for the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley in 2016, however was able to turn to the pair off the bench with the scores level at 2-2.
It was the magnificent Belgian who struck to put the Blues ahead, before Nemanja Matic’s piledriver ended all hopes of another Spurs comeback.
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The win booked their place in the final against Manchester United, where Hazard was on target from the spot to deliver the trophy in Conte’s last game in charge of Chelsea.
Chelsea 2-0 Spurs 2015 League Cup
Winning trophies has very much been Chelsea’s thing rather than Tottenham’s in the modern day, and this was no different when the two squared off in the League Cup final in 2015.
Jose Mourinho’s first trophy in his second stint at the club came against Spurs, after goals from John Terry and Diego Costa gave them a comfortable victory in the final.
The Blues went on to also win the Premier League this season, while their rivals missed out on a place in the top four.
Chelsea 2-0 Spurs 2019 Premier League
Fresh off a defeat in the EFL Cup final to Manchester City that was dominated by Kepa Arrizabalaga refusing to be substituted, the Spaniard was dropped from the side for their huge league game against Spurs.
This had no impact on the result though, after a Pedro strike and comical Kieran Trippier own goal gave them a big three points in their chase for Champions League football for the next season.
The result put an end to their opponents’ already lingering title hopes, with the Blues eventually overtaking their rivals in the last two games of the season to finish third.
Photo by Tom Jenkins/Getty Images
Photo by Tom Jenkins/Getty Images
Spurs 0-3 Chelsea 2021 Premier League
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea were looking to start the 2021/22 season off hot and show their Champions League victory would set them up to dominate the next campaign.
They proved their worth as one of the top dogs with a devastating second half display at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Goals from Thiago Silva, N’golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger gave the away fans a memorable afternoon.
Things fell apart later in the campaign for the Blues. A public spat involving Romelu Lukaku derailed his individual campaign, and they were forced to settle for third in the table, 19 points off leaders Manchester City.
Spurs 3-4 Chelsea 2024 Premier League
Earlier this season, Chelsea’s electric start to the campaign was under threat as they found themselves 2-0 down to Spurs and up against it away from home.
Jadon Sancho fired them back into the game, before a Cole Palmer double from the spot and Enzo Fernandez dagger gave them a big victory which put them firmly in the conversation for a Premier League title race.
Looking ahead to their next meeting on Thursday night, it is a place in the top five which Chelsea are looking to nail down, and a win against Spurs will be a huge step in the right direction for Maresca’s men.